Collector



Patented Jan. 21 1947 I UNITED STATES PATE- j- COLLECTOR Henry (J. French, Elm Grove, Wis., assignor Arnold Dryer (10., Milwaukee, Wis., acorpora-Q tion of Wisconsin Application June 9, 1945, Serial ndwsesgciii 4 Claims. (Cl.t18383),"

This invention relates to improvements in collectors, and more particularly to a collector for association with a hammermill.

Collectors ofthe cyclone separator type are customarily used in connection with hammermills or like mechanisms for the purpose of separating and collecting solid particles of a predetermined desired size from the undesirable lighter and more minute material with which they are entrained in the air currents. In conventional hammermill collectors a certain proportion of the desired larger particles of the material are lost through being exhausted to the atmosphere with the discharged air.

on in conventional collectors which might be ex-; hausted with the discharged air, it has hereto fore been proposed to have the inner end ofla the cost of the apparatus.

With the foregoing in mind, it isythereforaai primary object of the present invention to provide: a hammermill collector which wi1l preventthew undesirable exhaust to the atmosphere of sizable particles of material which should not :be was'ted by the utilization of simple, compact means associated directly with the collector whereby desirable heavy material in the air seeking to dis charge from the collector is skimmed from said discharging air and is returned via. a short'me turn or skimmer pipe into'a lowerlportion 'ofthe collector where it commingles with the originally" separated heavy material 'and gravitates there-t with to the collection end -ofthecollector. wo-1 J A further object of the inventionis to provide' a hammermill collector having simple, inexpen= slve and compact meansassociated'-therewith for salvaging desirable heavy in might otherwise be 'wasted.

terial which A further object of the invention is to "provide a hammermill collector having aninternal skirt member therein arranged relative tofthe: inlet end of a skimmer orreturn pipe-so that desirable? material salvaged frointhe upper endof the col 1 In an effort to save or re-i capture some of the heavier material operated;

' lector body and refintr td d n p e q va w' jacent; said skirting ,is permitted to gravitate to; the lower discharge end;- of the collector-i body i u me y. the u ward yii sa a Y ie t i co le rowsw: A further object of the invention is to provide h m ermi l sw et w ch, is o 1 ve v ni nd n xpen ve; q s r q ti a w i h is a sman and efiicien peratiomfwhich is strdn a durable an which swell adaptedforf-the 'pu o t sid s be W ththc. bq o hs bifitts'ii z f w an nven n cqn i fi l 9f (t ili iiqvs a m rm l lect r n its re e end e mpme iq ea t iorth' in the claims, and; n equivalentslthereofi nt h :a com a ii s' s i w ic T semey er erea a:cha as e I e? c r ain al tc zthe i wsa; w t i 1 i axsi bwip o heim mvedl b le 1 w t ctherin tp e e nashqwni i e fibi it Referrin now :rmptr :par i ins, -'w eah: hat hm t, t a ,t a o l wibodyjmsmb r 5 h. i finem lit the; form or. an inver ed c netwit th enlar d i nd or 5' be n o c l nd i a ti rmae tion., The top .oi the cylindrical c ortion jQf 1 the; bodyhas a l mou ted ther in o; ast tend substantially downwardly within ,the upper interiorportionof th ollectopbody, an air vor tex sleeve 6; topen at. 1 s loyver end. ibe -upper; dpo tmn. of s d sleeve ,fimr ec stb wnd e; p c os e. portion- 3 oithe coll nt ywi hw the 1 inner ;-periphe ?y. of the t-closuregportion{'l being yweld'ed; or otherwise secured toouter- ;-peri;-,= pheraliportions "of? the ,sleeve- 6: j flhe upper; e d of the'sleeve Sisfiormejd with ajcollar-like cover; 8, in 'the :centra-ltopening of which is securedgthe upper tend 0f 5a iskimmer tubenfi which; depends-; a substantial: distance into; the rsupper end oi the; sleeve-t6, being of substantially -.les s diameter tha theisleeve 6 and spacedannularlythereirom,

Spacedpupwardly, io'utwardly directed straps 1-6 have theirlcweri ehdiportiong secured to upper; peripheraliportions of Fth "skimmer tube 9 t and, the upper" flanged a extremities .Iof the; straps are secured to' and carry a-"topfc'ap Hi vortex with entrained light and unusable: matee. rial discharges fro'm thexcollector: through uthex op'en upper end "ofzcthe' skimmer tube;i9; passing; to: the atmosphere betweemthe straps 1;!) and; belowithe ca'p H 1i W-ithin ithe' xcon'icalt portion 15 of the? collect intermediate the ends thereof, is' secured a hollow skirt member I2 which i in the form of the frustrum of an inverted cone, being open at both ends and having its enlarged upper end in contact with and secured to inner wall portions of the collector body 5. The inclination of the downwardly directed side wall portions of the skirting I2 is greater than that of the adjacent side wall portions of'the collector body so that of the pipe l3 being turned inwardly and open-,

ing into the upper end of the sleeve 6 tangentially. The upper inlet end of the return pipe I3 is designated by the numeral M in the drawing, while the lower discharge end of the return pipe i3 is designated by the numeral l5.

An elongated inlet pipe is designated by the numeral 16 and its upper end opens tangentially into the upper end of the cylindrical portion 5' of the collector body. In practice the pipe H; extends to and is connected with a-fan or blower (not shown) which is inassociation with a hammermill (not shown) so as'to force material which has been comminuted or reduced in the hammermill outwardly through the pipe [6. Hence, via the pipe l6, bulk material of a reduced or com-- minuted character, such as meal, fodder or the like, is introduced in a continuous, forced stream into the enlarged upper end of the collector body.

In the operation of the improved collector, a typical function of which is to collect particles of heavy meal which has been comminuted or reduced in a hammermill, a continuous stream of the material is forcefully introduced tangentially into the enlarged upper end portion 5 of the collector body. This material initially circulates in a downwardly progressing spiral path between the exterior of the sleeve 6 an the interior of the collector body portions Elf and 5. The tendency of the whirling material isto stay toward the inner wall of the collector body, but as the collector body tapers inwardly downwardly, the

whirling material is eventually forced inwardly and meets the central vortex. Most of the heavy meal particles, which it is desired to collect, nevertheless gravitate downwardly counter to the current of the inner air vortex and are discharged through the reduced lower open end ll of the collector body 5, the desired particles of the bulk material being caught in suitable containers. Not all of the heavy meal entering the upper end of the collector body gravitates as described to the lower discharge end of the collector. Some of it remains entrained in the whirling air and the function of the present improvement is to salvage and return to the discharge end of the collector such particles of heavy meal or other bulk material which might otherwise be exhausted to the atmosphere with the discharged air in the central vortex and be wasted. In the accomplishment'of this purpose,

as the whirling air with some heavy meal particles remaining therein, is constricted, it is drawn into the central air vortexin the collector body and-is-then drawn upwardly into the vortex 4 sleeve 6, the air and entrained material moving spirally upwardly with the heavy meal particles remaining therein being thrown out centrifugally adjacent the inner surface of the sleeve 6. This action continues throughout the vertical extent of the sleeve 6 and the heavy meal, which is thrown out centrifugally, is sucked out of the air vortex by the down current in the return pipe I3 whose open upper end" l4 enters the upper end of the sleeve 6 tangentially. The whirling air, with lighter material therein which is not to be recovered, is constricted into the skimmer tube 9 and is discharged out of the collector to the atmosphere. The skimmed or salvaged meal or bulk material flows downwardly through the pipe l3 and is re-introduced into an intermediate portion of the collector body 5 in the annular space exteriorly of the skirting l2. This material is introduced into the collector body in a direction so as to whirl and the stream merges with the whirling stream of gravitating heavy meal which was initially separated. The reintroduced skimmed meal or material comes into the collector below the vortex area and is prevented from being influenced by the vortex because of the skirting. 7. Thus, the recirculated salvaged bulk materia1 is permitted to gravitate to the discharge end of the collector with the main descendin stream of the heavy material and is recovered from the collector at the lower outlet end thereof.

The improved collector, incorporating thesalvaging or skimming feature, requires a minimum of parts and additions over that required ina standard collector, is simple and compact and eificient in operation, and is welladapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In combination with a hollow collector body in the form of an inverted cone and havingan exhaust centrally in its upper end, a material delivery pipe opening tangentially into an upper side portion of the body, anda material discharge opening in the lower end of the body, an annular skirt member mounted within thebody intermediate the ends thereof with major portions discharge end opening into the body in the space between the skirt member'and the body wall.

2. In combination with a hollow, downwardly tapered collector body having a centrally located, constricted air exhaust in its upper end, a material delivery pipe opening-tangentially into an upper side, portion of the body, and a material discharge opening in the lower endof the body, J

an annular, downwardly tapered skirt member mounted within the body intermediate theends thereof and having its, upper periphery secured to inner wall portions of the bod-y, the, taper of the skirt member being-in the same direction as but greater than the taper of the body to provide an annular, downwardly widening space therebetween which is closed relative to the body space thereabove,'a sleeve of less diameter than the upper, portion of the body depending centrally thereinto and, substantially spacedgfrom the upper end of the, skirt, a. skimmeritubecominunicating with the air exhaust and depending centrally into said sleeve, said skimmer tube being of smaller diameter and of less length than said sleeve, and a down fiow material return pipe extending from an upper portion of the sleeve to an intermediate portion of the body and having its discharge end opening tangentially into the body in the space between the skirt member and the body wall.

3. A collector, comprising a hollow body generally in the form of an inverted cone with a bulk material discharge opening in its lower end, a material delivery pipe opening tangentially into an upper side wall portion of the body, a cylindrical sleeve of less diameter than the upper portion of the body depending concentrically thereinto, the open lower end of the sleeve being within the zone of an upwardly rising air vortex, a cylindrical kimmer tube of less diameter than the sleeve and depending concentrically thereinto and having its lower end terminating short of the lower end of the sleeve, the top of said tube being formed with an air exhaust, an annular, downwardly tapered skirt mounted within the body in sealing relation to the inner wall of the body and spacedly below the lower end of the sleeve, the taper of the skirt being greater than the taper of the body to provide an annular, downwardly widening space therebetween whose upper end is closed relative to the body opening thereabove, and a down flow material salvaging pipe mounted exteriorly of the body and having its upper end opening tangentially into the sleeve and having its lower end opening tangentially into the body in the space between the skirt and body wall and substantially below the zone of the upwardly rising air vortex within the body.

4. In combination with a hollow, hammerml'll collector body substantially in the form of an inverted cone and having an exhaust centrally in its upper end, a bulk material delivery pipe opening tangentially into an upper side portion of the body, and a bulk material discharge opening in the lower end of the body, a sleeve communicating with the air exhaust and. depending from the top of the body and entirely spaced concentrically from the side walls thereof, the lower end of the sleeve being within the zone of an upwardly rising air vortex produced within a portion of the body, an annular imperforate, tapered skirt having the upper end secured to and engaging an annular inner wall portion of the body, the taper of the skirt being in the same direction as but greater than the taper of the body to provide an annular, downwardly widening space therebetween bafliled relative to the rising air vortex zone in the body there above, and a bulk material salvage return pipe in communication with and extending from said sleeve to an intermediate portion of the body and having its discharge end opening tangentially into the body in the annular space between the skirt and the body wall, the arrangement of the discharge end of the return pipe being such as to cause the discharged material to whirl in the space between the skirt and body in a direction to gravitate and ultimately commingle with the stream of bulk material descending in the lower portion of the body toward the discharge openmg.

HENRY C. FRENCH. 

